Slang
The following is a list of vernacular and slang in use in the 1920's and 1930's. ---------- 18th (amendment) - Amendment to the US Constitution that started National Prohibition. Abercrombie - A know-it-all. Ab-so-lutely - Affirmative. Abyssinia - I'll be seeing you. All the Way - Chocolate cake or fudge with ice cream. All Wet - describes an erroneous idea or individual, as in, "he's all wet." Ameche/Horn/Blower - Telephone And How - I strongly agree! Apple - Any big town or city. Applesauce - An expletive in the same vein as "horsefeathers," as in "Ah applesauce!" Attaboy/Attagirl - Well done! Babe/bim/broad/chick/dame/doll/frail/twist/muffin/kitten - Woman. Baby - Sweetheart. Also denotes something of high value or respect. Balled Up - Confused, messed up. Baloney - Nonsense! Bangtails - Racehorses. Bank's Closed - No kissing or making out ("Sorry, Mac, the bank's closed."). Bathtub Gin - A form of homemade liquor mixed in a bathtub. Be on the nut - To be broke. Bean-shooter - Gun Bearcat - A hot-blooded or fiery girl. Beat it/Breeze off - Go away, get out of here. Beat one's gums/Bump gums - Idle chatter. Beef - Problem ("You got a beef with me?"). Bee's Knees/Berries/Cat's Meow/Cat's Pajamas - An extraordinary or pleasing person, thing, or idea ("it's the _____!"). Beeswax - Business ("none of your beeswax."). Beezer - Nose. Behind the eight ball - In a difficult position, in a tight spot, especially due to an earlier misjudgment or a lack of information. Bell bottom - Sailor. Big Cheese - The most important or influential person. Big House/Caboose/Cooler - Jail. Big One/Big Sleep - Death. Bing - Jailhouse talk for solitary confinement. Bird - Man, sometimes meaning "odd man." Bit - Prison sentence. Blind tigers - The illegal saloons, speakeasies during prohibition. Blip off/Blow (someone) down/Bop/Bump off/Croak - To kill. Blow - Leave. Blow your wig - To flip out or panic. Bluenose - An excessively puritanical person, a prude. Boob - Idiot. Bootlegger - A person who illegally makes or imports alcohol. Boozehound - Drunkard. Box - A safe or a bar. Box job - A safecracking. Brace (somebody) - Grab, shake up. Bracelets - Handcuffs. Break it up - Stop that, quit the nonsense. Breezer - A convertible car. Brodie - A mistake. Bruno - Tough guy, enforcer. Bucket - Car. Bulge, The - The advantage. Bulls - Plainclothes railroad cops; uniformed police; prison guards. Bum's rush - Ejection by force from an establishment. Burn powder - Fire a gun. Bus - Big car. Butter and egg man - The money man, the man with the bankroll, a yokel who comes to town to blow a big wad in nightclubs. Butt me - I'll take a cigarette. Button man - Professional killer. Buttons/Coppers - Police. Butts - Cigarettes. Buzz - Looks person up, comes to persons door. Buzzer - Policeman's badge. C - $100, a pair of C's = $200. Cabbage - Money. Call copper - Inform the police. Can - Jail or Car. Can house - Bordello. Can-opener - Safecracker who opens cheap safes. Canary - Woman singer. Carry a Torch - Suffering from an unrequited love. Cash - A kiss. Cash or check? - Do you kiss now or later? Cat/Alligator - Fan of swing music. Chassis - The female body. Cheaters - Eyeglasses. Check - Kiss me later. Cheese it - Put things away, hide. Chicago lightning - Gunfire. Chicago overcoat - Coffin. Chicago typewriter - A Thompson Sub-Machine Gun. Chilled off - Killed. Chin - Conversation; chinning: talking. Chin music - Punch on the jaw Chippy - Woman of easy virtue. Chisel - To swindle or cheat. Chiv - Knife. Chopper squad - Men with machine guns. Chump - Person marked for a con or a gullible person. Cinder dick - Railway detective. Clam - $1. Clammed - Close-mouthed (clammed up). Clean sneak - An escape with no clues left behind. Clip joint - In some cases, a nightclub where the prices are high and the patrons are fleeced. Clipped - Shot. Close your head - Shut up. Clubhouse - Police station. Con - Confidence game, swindle. Conk - Head. Cool - To knock out. Cop - Detective, private or otherwise. Copped, to be - Grabbed by the cops. Corn - Bourbon ("corn liquor"). Crab - Figure out. Crate - Car. Croaker - Doctor. Crushed out - Escaped (from jail). Cut down - Killed. Daddy - A young woman's boyfriend or lover, especially if he's rich. Dance - To be hanged. Dangle - Leave, get lost. Dapper - A flapper's "daddy." Darb - An excellent person or thing (as in "the Darb" - a person with money who can be relied on to pay the check). Daylight, as in "fill him with daylight" - Put a hole in, by shooting or stabbing. Dead soldier - An empty bear bottle. Deck, as in "deck of Luckies" - Pack of cigarettes. Derrick - Shoplifter. Dib - Share (of the proceeds). Dick - Detective (usually qualified with "private" if not a policeman). Dingus - Thing. Dip - Pickpocket. Dip the bill - Have a drink. Dish/Doll - Pretty woman. Dive - A low-down, cheap sort of place. Dizzy with a dame, To be - To be deeply in love with a woman. Dogs - Feet. Dolled up - Dressed up. Don't know from nothing - Don't have any information. Don't take any wooden nickels - Don't do anything stupid. Dope fiend - Drug addict. Dope peddler - Drug dealer. Dough - Money Drift - Go, leave. Drill - Shoot. Drop a dime - Make a phone call, sometimes meaning to the police to inform on someone. Droppers - Hired killers. Drugstore Cowboy - A guy that hangs around on a street corner trying to pick up girls. Drunkard - An alcoholic. Drys - The supporters of the Prohibition Amendment. Dry Agents - The agents who worked for the Prohibition Bureau in order to enforce Prohibition, including the corrupt ones. Dry up - Shut up, get lost. Duck soup - Easy, a piece of cake. Ducky - Very good. Dumb Dora - A stupid female. Dump - Roadhouse, club; or, more generally, any place. Dust out - Leave, depart. Edge - Tntoxication, a buzz ("I've got an edge."). Egg - A person who lives the big life. Electric cure - Electrocution. Elephant ears - Police. Fade - Go away, get lost. Fall Guy - Victim of a frame. Fella - A man. Fin - $5. Finder - Finger man. Finger, Put the finger on - Identify. Fire extinguisher - A chaperone. Fish - A newcomer, to prison or to university. Flaming Youth - Male counterpart to a flapper. Flapper - A stylish, brash young woman with short skirts and shorter hair. Flat Tire - A dull-witted or disappointing date. Flattie - Flatfoot, cop. Flat Tire - A dull insipid, disappointing date. Same as pill, pickle, drag, rag, oilcan. Flimflam - Swindle. Flippers - Hands. Flivver - A Ford automobile. Flogger - Overcoat. Flop - To go to bed (see: Flophouse) or to fall through/fail. Flophouse - A cheap transient hotel where a lot of men sleep in large rooms. Fly boy - A glamorous term for an aviator. Fog - To shoot. Frame - To give false evidence, to set up someone. Fry - To be electrocuted. Fuzz - Police. Gal - Woman. Gams - A Woman’s Legs. Gasper - Cigarette. Gat - Gun. Getaway sticks - Legs. Get a wiggle on - Get a move on, get going. Get Sore - Get mad. Giggle juice - Liquor. Giggle Water - Still liquor. Gin mill - Bar. Glad rags - Fancy clothes. G-men (government men) - FBI special agents. Gold Digger - A woman who associates with or marries a man for his wealth. Goofy - Crazy in love. Goog - Black eye. Goon - Thug. Gooseberry lay - Stealing clothes from a clothesline. Gowed-up - On dope, high. Grab (a little) air - Put your hands up. Graft - Con jobs or cut of the take. Grand - $1000. Grift - Confidence game, swindle. Grifter - Con man. Grilled - Questioned. Gumshoe - Detective. Gumshoeing - Detective work. Gun for - Look for, be after. Guns - Pickpockets, hoodlums. Guy - A man. Hack - Taxi. Half, a - 50 cents. Hard Boiled - a tough, strong guy. Harlem Sunset - Some sort fatal injury caused by knife. Harrison Narcotics Act - A bill passed in 1914 making narcotics prescribed by a doctor legal. However doctors were not allowed to prescribe narcotics to addicts. Hash House - A cheap restaurant. Hatchet men - Killers, gunmen. Have the Bees - To be rich. Hayburner - A gas guzzling car or a horse one loses money on. Hays Code - Also known as the “Motion Picture Production Code”. This was a code created by Will Hays. It was the standard for what movies would and would not show. Head doctors - Psychiatrists. Heap - Car. Heat - Police. Heater - Gun. Heebie-Jeebies - The jitters. Heeled - Carrying a gun. High-Hat - To snub. High Pillow - Person at the top, in charge. Highbinders - Corrupt politician or functionary. Hinky - Suspicious. Hitting the pipe - Smoking opium. Hitting on all eight - In good shape, going well. Hock shop - Pawnshop. Hooch - Bootleg liquor. Hood - Criminal. Hoofer - Dancer. Hoosegow - Jail. Hot - Stolen. Hotsy-Totsy - Pleasing. House dick/House peeper - House/hotel detective. Hype - Shortchange artist. Ice - Diamonds. Ing-bing, as in to throw an - A fit. Iron - A car. Jack - Money. Jake - OK, as in , "Everything is Jake." Jake-Foot - An illness that paralyzed at least one limb in the body. The disease was spread by “Jamaican Ginger”, a popular type of homemade alcohol. Jalopy - Old car. Jam - Trouble, a tight spot. Jane - A woman. Java - Coffee. Jaw - Talk. Jerking a nod - Nodding. Jingle-brained - Addled. Jitney - a car employed as a private bus. Fare was usually five cents; also called a "nickel." Jobbie - Man. Joe - Coffee, as in "a cup of joe." Johns - Police. Joint - A club, usually selling alcohol. Juice - Interest on a loanshark's loan. Jug - Jail. Jump, The - A hanging. Keen - Attractive or appealing. Kibosh - To quell ("He put the kibosh on that."). Kick off - Die. Kiss - To punch. Kisser - Mouth. Knock off - Kill. Lammed off - Ran away, escaped. Large: $1,000 - twenty large would be $20,000. Law, the - The police. Lead - Bullets. Lead poisoning - To be shot. Left holding the bag - To be cheated out of one's fair share, or to be singularly blamed for something perpetrated as a group. Level with me - Be honest. Lid - Hat. Line - Insincere flattery. Lip - A criminal lawyer. Live wire - A lively person. Looker - Pretty woman. Look-out - Outside man. Lounge Lizard - A guy that is sexually active. Lousy with - To have lots of. Mac - Generic pronoun for a man ("Hey Mac, spare a gasper?"). Made - Recognized. One whose cover has been blown has been "made." Map - Face. Marbles - Pearls. Mark - Sucker, victim of swindle or fixed game. Maroon - Person marked for a con or a gullible person. Meat wagon - Ambulance. Mickey Finn - A drink drugged with knock-out drops. Mill - Typewriter. Mitt - Hand. Mob - Gang (not necessarily Mafia). Moll - A gangster's girl. Monicker - Name. Moonshine - Illegal alcohol, usually in context with homemade alcohol. Mouthpiece - Lawyer. Mugs - Men (especially refers to dumb ones). Nailed - Caught, especially by the police. Neck - Kissing with passion. Nevada gas - Cyanide. Newshawk - Reporter. Newsie - Newspaper vendor. Nibble one - To have a drink. Nicked - Stole. Nifty - Great, excellent. Nippers - Handcuffs. Noble Experiment - Another name for Prohibition. Nobody Home - Describes some one who is dumb. Noodle - Head. "Now you're on the trolley!" - Now you've got it! Number - A person. Off the track - Said about a person who becomes insanely violent ("He comes off the track."). On the lam - To be a fugitive from justice. On the level/On the up-and-up - Legitimate, honest, legal. Op - Detective. Orchid - An expensive item. Orphan paper - Bad checks. Ossified - A drunk person, especially falling-down drunk. Out on the roof - To drink a lot, to be drunk. Owl - A person who's out late. Oyster fruit - Pearls. Packing Heat - Carrying a gun. Pal - A man. Palooka - Man, probably physically imposing but not very smart; a below-average or average boxer. Pan - Face. Paste - Punch. Patsy - Person who is set up; fool, chump. Paw - Hand. Peaching - Informing. Peeper - Detective. Peepers - Eyes. Pen - Penitentiary, jail. Penal System - The court system. Peterman - Safecracker who uses nitroglycerin. Piece - Gun. Pigeon - Stool-pigeon. Piker - A cheapskate or coward. Pill - A teacher or someone who's unpleasant to be around. Pinch - To arrest. Pins - Legs. Pipe - See or notice. Pipe down - Stop talking. Pipes - Throat. Plant - Someone on the scene but in hiding, or to bury. Plug - Shoot. Plugs - People. Poke - Bankroll, stake. Pooped - Killed. Pop - Kill. Pro skirt - Prostitute. Puffing - Mugging. Pug - Pugilist, boxer. Pump - Heart. Pump metal - Shoot bullets. Punk - Hood, thug. Pushover - A person easily convinced, seduced, or otherwise circumvented. Puss - Face. Put down - Drink. Put the screws on - Question, get tough with. Putting on the Ritz - Doing something in high style. Rag-a-muffin - A dirty or disheveled individual, especially a child. Rags - Clothes. Ranked - Observed, watched, given the once-over. Rap - Criminal charge. Rappers - Fakes, set-ups. Rat - Inform. Rate - To be good, to count for something. Rats and mice - Dice, i.e. craps. Rattler - Train. Razz - To make fun of. Real McCoy - The genuine article. Red-light - To eject from a car or train. Redhot - Some sort of criminal. Reefers - Marijuana cigarettes. Rhino - Money. Right - Adjective indicating quality. Ringers - Fakes. Ritzy - Elegant (from the hotel). Rod - Gun. Rub-out - To kill. Rube - Bumpkin, easy mark. Rubes - Money or dollars. Rumble, the - The news. Rum runner - Someone who smuggles alcohol: bootlegger. Saloon - A bar type organization, operated before prohibition. Sap - A naive person. Sap poison - Getting hit with a sap (a small baton). Sawbuck - $10 bill (a double sawbuck is a $20 bill). Says you - A reaction of disbelief. Schnozzle - Nose. Scram - Ask someone to leave immediately. Scratch - Money. Scratcher - Forger. Send over - Send to jail. Shamus - (Private) detective. Sharper - A swindler or sneaky person. Sheba - A woman with sex appeal. Sheik - A man with sex appeal. Shells - Bullets. Shiv - Knife. Shyster - A corrupt or dishonest lawyer. Sing - Make a confession. Sinker - A doughnut. Sister - Woman. Skate around - To be of easy virtue. Skid rogue - A bum who can't be trusted. Skirt - Woman. Slant, Get a - Take a look. Sleuth - Detective. Slug - A bullet, or to punch someone, especially if they are rendered unconscious. Smoked - Drunk. Snap a cap - Shout. Snatch - Kidnap. Sneeze - Take. Snitch - An informer, or to inform. Snooper - Detective. Soak - To pawn. Sock - Punch. Soup - Nitroglycerine. Soup job - To crack a safe using nitroglycerine. Speakeasy - The illegal saloons during prohibition. Spifflicated - Drunk. The same as canned, corked, tanked, primed, scrooched, jazzed, zozzled, plastered, owled, embalmed, lit, potted, ossified or fried to the hat. Spiffy - A dapper appearance. Spill - Talk, inform. Spinach - Money. Spitting - Talking. Spoon - To neck, or at least talk of love. Square - Honest. Squeeze - A female companion or girlfriend. Squirt metal - Shoot bullets. Step off - To be hanged. Stiff - A corpse. Sting - Culmination of a con game. Stool-pigeon/Stoolie - Informer. Struggle Buggy - The backseat of a car. A parent's worst nightmare. Stuck On - Having a crush on. Sucker - Someone ripe for a grifter's scam. Sugar - Money. Swanky - Ritzy. Swell - Wonderful. Also: a rich man. Tail - Shadow or follow. Take a powder - Leave. Take on - Eat. Take for a Ride - To drive off with someone in order to kill them at another location. Take the air - Leave. Take the bounce - To get kicked out. Take the fall for - Accept punishment for. Temperance - Self restraint or abstinence in the use of alcoholic beverages. That's the crop - That's all of it. Three-spot - Three-year jail term. Throw lead - Shoot bullets. Ticket - P.I. license. Tiger milk - Some sort of liquor. Tighten the screws - Put pressure on somebody. Tin - Badge. Tip a few - To have a few drinks. Tomato - Pretty woman. Tooting the wrong ringer - Asking the wrong person. Torpedo - A hired gun. Trap - Mouth. Trigger man - Man whose job is to use a gun. Trouble boys - Gangsters. Twist - Woman. Two bits - $25, or 25 cents. Under glass - In jail. Upchuck - To vomit when one has drunk too much. Volstead Act - The act implementing the 18th amendment. It made the 18th amendment enforceable. WCTU - Woman’s Christian Temperance Union: a group against saloons and alcohol. Weak sister - A push-over. Wear iron - Carry a gun. Wet Blanket - a solemn person, a killjoy. Wets - The opponents of Prohibition. What's eating you? - What's wrong? Whoopee - To have a good time. Wise head - A smart person. Wooden kimono - A coffin. Wood Alcohol - A dangerous form of alcohol made during prohibition. Wrong gee/Wrong number - Not a good fellow. Ya Follow? - Do you understand? Yak-Yak Bourbon - A type of homemade liquor that became extremely popular in Philadelphia. This was one of the types of alcohol that was fermented in old whisky barrels. Yap - Mouth. Yard - $100. Yegg - Safecracker who only opens cheap and easy safes. "You shred it, wheat" - You said it.